BLOG TOUR: In the Garden of Monsters by Crystal King

 I'm excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for In the Garden of Monsters by Crystal King! I received a free electronic copy for an honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to MIRA and Crystal King for letting me be a part of the tour!

Title: In the Garden of Monsters

Author: Crystal King

Published by: MIRA

Released: September 24, 2024

Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by Publisher

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Synopsis: A woman with no past. A man who seems to know her. And a monstrous garden that could be the border between their worlds…Italy, 1948 Julia Lombardi is a mystery even to herself. The beautiful model can’t remember where she’s from, where she’s been or how she came to live in Rome. When she receives an offer to accompany celebrated eccentric artist Salvador Dalí to the Sacro Bosco—Italy’s Garden of Monsters—as his muse, she’s strangely compelled to accept. It could be a chance to unlock the truth about her past… Shrouded in shadow, the garden full of giant statues that sometimes seem alive is far from welcoming. Still, from the moment of their arrival at the palazzo, Julia is inexplicably drawn to their darkly enigmatic host, Ignazio. He’s alluring yet terrifying—and he seems to know her. Posing for Dalí as the goddess Persephone, Julia finds the work to be perplexing, particularly as Dalí descends deeper into his fanaticism. To him, she is Persephone, and he insists she must eat pomegranate seeds to rejoin her king. Between Dalí’s fevered persistence, Ignazio’s uncanny familiarity and the agonizing whispered warnings that echo through the garden, Julia is soon on the verge of unraveling. And she begins to wonder if she’s truly the mythical queen of the Underworld… (Synopsis from Goodreads)

My Thoughts: The cover really got me for this one. It just really caught my eye, so I was excited to see what this story was going to deliver.

This story was definitely an adventure and a journey to read. When I read the synopsis, I could tell that I was going to be in for a weird time, and I think that is accurate. Reading this story is a surreal experience.

The author had some really vivid and detailed descriptions of food and place that really added to the overall vibe.

I don't know if this book is for everybody, but I know a lot of readers' will really enjoy this one.

Crystal King is the author of In The Garden of Monsters, The Chef’s Secret and Feast of Sorrow, which was long-listed for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and was a Must Read for the MassBook Awards. She is an author, culinary enthusiast, and marketing expert, and has taught at multiple universities including Harvard Extension and Boston University. She resides in Boston. You can find her at crystalking.com.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for In the Garden of Monsters by Crystal King! Thank you to MIRA and Crystal King for letting me be a part of the tour. If this one sounds good to you, you should definitely give it a read.

BLOG TOUR: The Midnight Club by Margot Harrison

 I'm excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for The Midnight Club by Margot Harrison! I received a free electronic copy from the publisher for an honest review. Thank you to Graydon House and Margot Harrison for letting me be a part of the tour!

Title: The Midnight Club

Author: Margot Harrison

Published by: Graydon House

Released: September 24, 2024

Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by Publisher

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Synopsis: Four friends. A campus reunion. A dark new way to relive the past.

“How could you leave the past undisturbed when it was hiding parts of you from yourself?”

It’s been twenty-five years since The Midnight Club last convened. A tight-knit group of college friends bonded by late nights at the campus literary magazine, they’re also bonded by something darker: the death of their brilliant friend Jennet junior year. But now, decades later, a mysterious invitation has pulled them back to the pine-shrouded Vermont town where it all began.

As the estranged friends gather for a weeklong campus reunion, they soon learn that their host has an ulterior motive: she wants them to uncover the truth about the night Jennet died, and she’s provided them with an extraordinary method—a secret substance that helps them not only remember but relive the past.

But each one of the friends has something to hide. And the more they question each other, the deeper they dive into their own memories, the more they understand that nothing they thought they knew about their college years, and that fateful night, is true.

Twisty, nostalgic, and emotionally thrilling, The Midnight Club explores that innate desire to revisit our first loves, our biggest mistakes, and the gulf between who we are and who we hoped we’d be. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

My Thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I love books with past tragedies that bring them all back together. The cover and synopsis really drew me in for this one. I also love trying to solve a mystery, not that I'm ever very good at it.

This story goes back and forth in time. We see the characters where they are now, and back when they were in college. They all come back together to deal with something from their past.

I really wanted to know what happened, so I was invested in the story.

I can see a lot of people enjoying this one. I think it's worth a read.

MARGOT HARRISON is the author of four young adult novels, including an Indies Introduce Pick, Junior Library Guild Selections, and Vermont Book Award Finalists. She grew up in New York and now lives in Vermont. The Midnight Club is her debut adult novel.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for The Midnight Club by Margot Harrison. Thank you to Graydon House and Margot Harrison for letting me be a part of the tour. This is one you should definitely add to your TBR pile.

BLOG TOUR: The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak

 I'm excited to be a part of the tour for The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak! I received a free electronic copy for an honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to MIRA and Brenda Novak for letting me be a part of the tour.

Title: The Banned Books Club

Author: Brenda Novak

Published by: MIRA

Released: September 17, 2024

Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by Publisher

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Synopsis: She left her hometown following a scandal—but family loyalty is dragging her back…

Despite their strained relationship, when Gia Rossi’s sister, Margot, begs her to come home to Wakefield, Iowa, to help with their ailing mother, Gia knows she has no choice. After her rebellious and at-times-tumultuous teen years, Gia left town with little reason to look back. But she knows Margot’s borne the brunt of their mother’s care and now it’s Gia’s turn to help, even if it means opening old wounds.

As expected, Gia’s homecoming is far from welcome. There’s the Banned Books Club she started after the PTA overzealously slashed the high school reading list, which is right where she left it. But there is also Mr. Hart, her former favorite teacher. The one who was fired after Gia publicly and painfully accused him of sexual misconduct. The one who prompted Gia to leave behind a very conflicted town the minute she turned eighteen. The one person she hoped never to see again.

When Margot leaves town without explanation, Gia sees the cracks in her sister’s “perfect” life for the first time and plans to offer support. But as the town, including members of the book club, takes sides between Gia and Mr. Hart, everything gets harder. Fortunately, she learns that there are people she can depend on. And by standing up for the truth, she finds love and a future in the town she thought had rejected her. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

My Thoughts: I enjoyed reading this one. It's not as cutesy as the cover would have you imagine. Gia is dealing with a lot of serious things by coming back to her hometown. The story also didn't really focus that much on the Banned Book's Club, which can be a little misleading.

This story is really about Gia coming back to a small town that didn't believe in her. She is a very strong character. She also has family relationships that need fixing.

There is a cute romance too.

This story contains more than meets the eye. I liked it and I can see a lot of other people enjoying it too.

New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak has written over 80 novels. An eight-time Rita nominee, she's won The National Reader's Choice, The Bookseller's Best and other awards. She runs Brenda Novak for the Cure, a charity that has raised more than $2.5 million for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). She considers herself lucky to be a mother of five and married to the love of her life. www.brendanovak.com

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak! Thank you to MIRA and Brenda Novak for letting me be a part of the tour. This is a perfect one for lovers of drama!

BLOG TOUR: The Booklover's Library by Madeline Martin

 I'm excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for The Booklover's Library by Madeline Martin! I received a free electronic copy for an honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to Hanover Square Press and Madeline Martin for letting me be a part of the tour!

Title: The Booklover's Library

Author: Madeline Martin

Released: September 10, 2024

Published by: Hanover Square Press

Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by the Publisher

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Synopsis: A heartwarming story about a mother and daughter in wartime England and the power of the books that bring them together.

In Nottingham, England, widow Emma Taylor finds herself in desperate need of a job to provide for herself and her beloved daughter, Olivia. But with the legal restrictions prohibiting widows with children from most employment opportunities, she’s left with only one option: persuading the manageress at Boots’ Booklover’s Library to take a chance on her.

When the threat of war becomes a reality, Olivia must be evacuated to the countryside. In her daughter’s absence, Emma seeks solace in the unlikely friendships she forms with her neighbors and coworkers, as well as the recommendations she provides to the library’s quirky regulars. But the job doesn’t come without its difficulties. Books are mysteriously misshelved and disappearing, and her work forces her to confront the memories of her late father and the bookstore they once owned together before a terrible accident.

As the Blitz intensifies in Nottingham and Emma fights to reunite with her daughter, she must learn to depend on her community and the power of literature more than ever to find hope in the darkest of times. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

My Thoughts: I love books that involve books, so I knew The Booklover's Library was going to be a great one. I was not wrong about this one.

This story does feature a turbulent time in history. I liked how it focused on the everyday people stuck in the middle of it. Emma had to do what she could for herself and her child in during a time of war.

Emma had a lot of tragedy that happened in her life, but the people and books help to heal her a little.

Madeline Martin is a New York Times, USA TODAY, and international bestselling author of historical fiction and historical romance with books that have been translated into over twenty different languages.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for The Booklover's Library by Madeline Martin. Thank you to Hanover Square Press and Madeline Martin for letting me be a part of the tour. If you like books that feature books, then this one is for you!

BLOG TOUR: Zetas Till We Die by Amber and Danielle Brown

 I'm excited to be a part of the Blog Tour for Zetas Till We Die by Amber and Danielle Brown! I received a free electronic review copy from the publisher. Thanks so much to Graydon House and Amber and Danielle Brown for letting me be a part of the tour!

Title: Zetas Till We Die

Authors: Amber and Danielle Brown

Published by: Graydon House

Released: September 10, 2024

Source: Electronic Review Copy Provided by Publisher

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Synopsis: SISTERS…FOR LIFE.

It’s been ten years since Priscilla and her Zeta Phi Zeta sorority sisters graduated college. Ten years since they were all in the same room together. Ten years since one of them died. And now Lupe’s killer has been released from prison on a technicality, days before their ten-year reunion.

Priscilla decides that the party must go on; Lupe would have wanted it to. And besides, an epic reunion bash might be the perfect distraction. Back together, the Zetas party like it’s 2012, and it’s wild, just the way it used to be. Maybe too wild. At least everyone makes it out alive this time…or so they think.

When one of them doesn’t return home after the party, Priscilla begins to realize that there might be more to Lupe’s murder and that someone is out for blood. With the murderer in their midst circling closer and closer, the Zetas are forced to confront what really happened the night Lupe died—and the secrets each of them swore to keep. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

My Thoughts: This was a fun time. I love a good thriller. They are so easy to just fly through. While I was reading, I was trying to solve the mystery. It was a lot of fun trying to guess the who and why.

I can see a lot of people really enjoying this one. It has a great setting and an interesting backstory. 

Everyone needs more mystery/thrillers in their reading pile!

Amber and Danielle Brown both graduated from Rider University where they studied Communications/Journalism and sat on the editorial staff for the On Fire!! literary journal. They then pursued a career in fashion and spent five years in NYC working their way up, eventually managing their own popular fashion and lifestyle blog. Amber is also a screenwriter, so they live in LA, which works out perfectly so Danielle can spoil her plant babies with copious amount of sunshine.

Thanks so much for checking out my Blog Tour Stop for Zetas Till We Die by Amber and Danielle Brown! Thank you to Graydon House and Amber and Danielle Brown for letting me be a part of the tour. This is one that you should definitely give a read!